Mr. Ian Clayton

Founder - Service Management University, Author: USMBOK

With more than 40 years as an IT professional Ian is one of the most experienced service management practitioners and thought leaders in the world. Born in London England, he is a pioneer of the application of ‘outside-in’ thinking to service management initiatives to ensure they are customer relevant and that the customer interest is embedded in every management decision, and of lean thinking to deliver efficiency improvements from within the associated work effort.

Ian is a gregarious, motivational sought-after consultant, educator and speaker who is passionate about helping service businesses in general, and IT organizations of all sizes improve business results through changing how they manage information system as services, interact with their customers, and map, inspect and continuously improve the service experience.

Ian simplifies and brings to life complicated topics, delivering lively, entertaining workshops, presentations, and educational experiences to a broad array of audiences. He applies his depth of service management knowledge and practical experience to enable an organization to transform itself to be performance managed by successful customer outcomes, and customer satisfaction levels. Friends, colleagues, and clients characterize Ian as one of the most pragmatic, insightful, innovative and sometimes ‘revolutionary’ minds in the industry.

Ian’s career includes important periods with Ross Perot’s Electronic Data Systems, where he was worked alongside individuals who took part in the Iranian rescue mission, and ground-breaking projects at Australia Telecom, Caterpillar, and American Express, to name a few.

He is author of the Guide to Universal Service Management Body of Knowledge (USMBOK), and holds a number of important industry qualifications, including: Certified Service Management Professional™ (CSMP), Certified Lean Service Professional™ (CLSP), Guerrilla Service Manager™, IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) V2 Service Manager with Mark of Distinction, and ITIL V3 Expert. He is also an approved instructor to the ITIL Expert level, and for the Service Management Society’s ANSI® eligible Service Management Qualification Scheme (SMQS).

Ian currently lives in Sarasota Florida with his wife Delynn and together they have six children. He balances his working time between writing and consulting on all matters service management, redirecting traditional IT Service Management initiatives, and enabling organizations to transform their culture and practices, one improvement at a time.